Post by Griffin on Jul 15, 2008 1:44:17 GMT -5
Told you I forgot. =)
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The large oak doors of the Council Chamber swung open wide around noon the next day. General Beran, accompanied by a sweaty Corporal Kurtz, walked coolly down the long carpet into the center of the Chamber. Aulus Cunis, the head councilman, sat upon a raised podium at the end of this carpet way. The rest of the King’s Council sat on either side of him on descending podiums arranged in a semicircle around the chamber.
Cassius Beran and his young aid reached the end of the carpet which placed them in the direct center of the semicircle of councilmen. Beran bowed before the council and Kurtz followed suit. The council tilted their heads in recognition. Aulus donned a pair of spectacles and spoke, “General Beran, I assume you know why you have been called here today?”
“Actually Aulus,” started the General.
“Excuse me Beran,” said a pudgy councilman on Cunis’s direct left, “but you shall address the head of the King’s Council by his official title, ‘Head Councilman Cunis’.”
“Ah, I apologize, Councilman Tanen,” started Beran. “As an official, I should be more respectful to other officials.” Tanen smiled with pride until Beran began his next sentence. “But, aren’t you an official as well, Councilman Tanen? In such a case, you shall address me by my official title, ‘General Beran’.” Tanen slouched in his seat, humbled by Beran’s comeback. “Back to the point,” he continued, “I do not know why I have been called here. The messenger did not say.”
“Well allow me to inform you,” said Cunis. “I bear this news with the utmost gravity. As such, I must ask of you to remain silent until I finish the whole of this news.” Beran nodded in acknowledgment and Cunis continued after a sigh. “General Beran, I regret to inform you that King Decius Mazus passed away in his sleep this morning.”
“What?!” cried Beran.
“General Beran, please,” said the pale man, “let me to finish. Our great king called upon me some three weeks ago. He feared that his death would be upon us soon. A few days after this meeting, he came down with symptoms reflecting a mere cold. But, it appears this was no cold. He was found passed in his bed only this morning.”
“Why wasn’t I informed of this earlier?!” shouted Beran.
Cunis place his elbows on the desk and rested his chin upon his folded hands. “I apologize for the tardiness of the announcement, but the Council had much information to settle concerning the causes, arranging the way to inform the villagers, setting up the funeral, so on and so forth. But you have been called here because we must speak to you concerning the king’s heir.”
Beran stood wide-eyed. His young aid was standing by his side, shocked and speechless. Calmly, he spoke, “Tell me, Head Councilman Cunis, why is my presence required here concerning this ‘heir’? It is common knowledge that our king, Volcra rest his soul, never married and lost his family long ago.”
Cunis paused. “Exactly. During the meeting three weeks ago, King Mazus asked me, that upon his death, to designate you as his heir.”
Beran’s eyes fell to the floor. Was this true? He did have the leadership skills necessary to rule a kingdom...but he could not serve as well as King Mazus. Then again, who would? Beran continued to ponder his response and the silence strained the Council. After several more minutes, Beran lifted his head and spoke, “I can not.”
Most of the Councilmen’s jaws dropped, Kurtz looked up at his teacher with a stunned look on his face, but across Cunis’s face, a deceitful grin formed.
“Pardon me, General Beran,” started Councilman Sanning on Cunis’s right, “but did you just refuse to take the position of king, after the late king himself demanded you to?”
Beran chuckled lightly, “Please, Councilman Sanning, choose your words more carefully. King Mazus did not demand me to become the king. He assigned me as his heir. As Supreme Commander, I have to be fully informed on every Caradonian law. It’s a little known law, but one all the same. As an heir, I can choose whether or not to fill the position.”
“Absolutely not!” squeaked Councilman Tanen. “Never once in Caradonian history has a designated heir refuse the kingship!”
Cunis silenced him, “Please, my fellow Councilmen, let the General explain his reasoning.”
Beran nodded his head lightly and began, “Gentlemen, I am the not the right one to take the throne. As a General, the men who serve me are soldiers dedicated to the glory of battle and to the mighty Volcra. If I were to become king, the men serving me would be dedicated only to pleasing my mortal being and to me. I am a servant of Volcra and my duty is to represent his flame on the battlefield. If I were king, I could not fulfill this duty and I would fail the god I so serve.”
There was a silence. The other Councilmen looked at their leader. He was obviously deep in thought. Finally, the pale man broke the silence, “General Beran, I assume you are aware that, while no king sits upon the throne, the Council holds the highest authority in Caradon.”
“I am,” he replied.
“Well then,” said Cunis, “we sit in circumstances that are a tad confusing. Let me set things straight. King Mazus gave me an order. That order was to designate you as his heir. The king did not directly give you this order. The order King Mazus passed to me is being passed to you, being, to take the throne. Now that our king has passed, we stand as the highest authority. This being so, you are refusing to follow an order from Caradon’s highest authority.”
A puzzled look crossed the General’s weathered face, “What are you getting at?”
Cunis took a breath and placed his hands firmly on the podium, “Cassius Beran, Supreme Commander of the forces of Caradon, I, Aulus Cunis, Head Councilman of the King’s Council of Caradon, hereby charge you with treason...”
“What?!” cried Beran, but Cunis continued.
“...for disobeying our authority. You shall be stripped of your status of Supreme Commander and your force shall be limited to one thousand men. You and your men are forbidden from leaving the kingdom for a three year period. Also, your force is assigned to defending the border of Delaris for a one year period.”
“Aulus! This is ridiculous! What in Volcra’s name are you accomplishing here?”
“I apologize General. But it falls to me to keep order now that we have no king and no heir,” said Cunis. “Now you may leave us. We have many things to settle. Please remove your things from the Supreme Commander’s quarters in the castle and into one of the General’s rooms in the barracks.”
Stricken, Beran turned and walked down the carpet way with young Kurtz beside him. Meekly, the Corporal spoke, “Sir? What’s happening?”
As the large doors swung open, he answered, “I don’t know. But Volcra is not pleased.”
___________________________________
Chapter Two: A Pale Man’s Ploy
The large oak doors of the Council Chamber swung open wide around noon the next day. General Beran, accompanied by a sweaty Corporal Kurtz, walked coolly down the long carpet into the center of the Chamber. Aulus Cunis, the head councilman, sat upon a raised podium at the end of this carpet way. The rest of the King’s Council sat on either side of him on descending podiums arranged in a semicircle around the chamber.
Cassius Beran and his young aid reached the end of the carpet which placed them in the direct center of the semicircle of councilmen. Beran bowed before the council and Kurtz followed suit. The council tilted their heads in recognition. Aulus donned a pair of spectacles and spoke, “General Beran, I assume you know why you have been called here today?”
“Actually Aulus,” started the General.
“Excuse me Beran,” said a pudgy councilman on Cunis’s direct left, “but you shall address the head of the King’s Council by his official title, ‘Head Councilman Cunis’.”
“Ah, I apologize, Councilman Tanen,” started Beran. “As an official, I should be more respectful to other officials.” Tanen smiled with pride until Beran began his next sentence. “But, aren’t you an official as well, Councilman Tanen? In such a case, you shall address me by my official title, ‘General Beran’.” Tanen slouched in his seat, humbled by Beran’s comeback. “Back to the point,” he continued, “I do not know why I have been called here. The messenger did not say.”
“Well allow me to inform you,” said Cunis. “I bear this news with the utmost gravity. As such, I must ask of you to remain silent until I finish the whole of this news.” Beran nodded in acknowledgment and Cunis continued after a sigh. “General Beran, I regret to inform you that King Decius Mazus passed away in his sleep this morning.”
“What?!” cried Beran.
“General Beran, please,” said the pale man, “let me to finish. Our great king called upon me some three weeks ago. He feared that his death would be upon us soon. A few days after this meeting, he came down with symptoms reflecting a mere cold. But, it appears this was no cold. He was found passed in his bed only this morning.”
“Why wasn’t I informed of this earlier?!” shouted Beran.
Cunis place his elbows on the desk and rested his chin upon his folded hands. “I apologize for the tardiness of the announcement, but the Council had much information to settle concerning the causes, arranging the way to inform the villagers, setting up the funeral, so on and so forth. But you have been called here because we must speak to you concerning the king’s heir.”
Beran stood wide-eyed. His young aid was standing by his side, shocked and speechless. Calmly, he spoke, “Tell me, Head Councilman Cunis, why is my presence required here concerning this ‘heir’? It is common knowledge that our king, Volcra rest his soul, never married and lost his family long ago.”
Cunis paused. “Exactly. During the meeting three weeks ago, King Mazus asked me, that upon his death, to designate you as his heir.”
Beran’s eyes fell to the floor. Was this true? He did have the leadership skills necessary to rule a kingdom...but he could not serve as well as King Mazus. Then again, who would? Beran continued to ponder his response and the silence strained the Council. After several more minutes, Beran lifted his head and spoke, “I can not.”
Most of the Councilmen’s jaws dropped, Kurtz looked up at his teacher with a stunned look on his face, but across Cunis’s face, a deceitful grin formed.
“Pardon me, General Beran,” started Councilman Sanning on Cunis’s right, “but did you just refuse to take the position of king, after the late king himself demanded you to?”
Beran chuckled lightly, “Please, Councilman Sanning, choose your words more carefully. King Mazus did not demand me to become the king. He assigned me as his heir. As Supreme Commander, I have to be fully informed on every Caradonian law. It’s a little known law, but one all the same. As an heir, I can choose whether or not to fill the position.”
“Absolutely not!” squeaked Councilman Tanen. “Never once in Caradonian history has a designated heir refuse the kingship!”
Cunis silenced him, “Please, my fellow Councilmen, let the General explain his reasoning.”
Beran nodded his head lightly and began, “Gentlemen, I am the not the right one to take the throne. As a General, the men who serve me are soldiers dedicated to the glory of battle and to the mighty Volcra. If I were to become king, the men serving me would be dedicated only to pleasing my mortal being and to me. I am a servant of Volcra and my duty is to represent his flame on the battlefield. If I were king, I could not fulfill this duty and I would fail the god I so serve.”
There was a silence. The other Councilmen looked at their leader. He was obviously deep in thought. Finally, the pale man broke the silence, “General Beran, I assume you are aware that, while no king sits upon the throne, the Council holds the highest authority in Caradon.”
“I am,” he replied.
“Well then,” said Cunis, “we sit in circumstances that are a tad confusing. Let me set things straight. King Mazus gave me an order. That order was to designate you as his heir. The king did not directly give you this order. The order King Mazus passed to me is being passed to you, being, to take the throne. Now that our king has passed, we stand as the highest authority. This being so, you are refusing to follow an order from Caradon’s highest authority.”
A puzzled look crossed the General’s weathered face, “What are you getting at?”
Cunis took a breath and placed his hands firmly on the podium, “Cassius Beran, Supreme Commander of the forces of Caradon, I, Aulus Cunis, Head Councilman of the King’s Council of Caradon, hereby charge you with treason...”
“What?!” cried Beran, but Cunis continued.
“...for disobeying our authority. You shall be stripped of your status of Supreme Commander and your force shall be limited to one thousand men. You and your men are forbidden from leaving the kingdom for a three year period. Also, your force is assigned to defending the border of Delaris for a one year period.”
“Aulus! This is ridiculous! What in Volcra’s name are you accomplishing here?”
“I apologize General. But it falls to me to keep order now that we have no king and no heir,” said Cunis. “Now you may leave us. We have many things to settle. Please remove your things from the Supreme Commander’s quarters in the castle and into one of the General’s rooms in the barracks.”
Stricken, Beran turned and walked down the carpet way with young Kurtz beside him. Meekly, the Corporal spoke, “Sir? What’s happening?”
As the large doors swung open, he answered, “I don’t know. But Volcra is not pleased.”
